Farming with studies in Muktidham

By Thakur Prasad Acharya, Myagdi, Feb. 27: Students of Muktidham Secondary School, located in Raghuganga Rural Municipality–2, Rakhu Bhagwati of Myagdi, have started collective vegetable farming within the school premises, integrating practical learning with their studies.

Students from grades 9 to 12 studying Crop Science under the technical course have begun producing tomatoes and mushrooms, applying their classroom knowledge in practice while also earning income.

The school's agricultural instructor and agricultural coordinator Prabhat Subedi said that vegetable farming was started on the school premises with the aim of making students studying agriculture proficient in practical skills along with theoretical knowledge.

According to him, the students are currently producing tomatoes, straw mushrooms, and wooden mushrooms.

He said that the students have also earned income by selling the agricultural products they have produced.

This year, the students have so far produced about two quintals of tomatoes and 90 kg of wooden mushrooms. Last year, 120 kg of straw mushroom was produced.

According to school, some of the income from the sale of the produced vegetables will be deposited in the school fund and some will be distributed to the students as an incentive.

The students were taught to grow vegetables with the aim of teaching them the traditional farming done by them using modern technology.

Student Rejina Bhandari said that the school's teaching has helped her to modernise the vegetable farming done by her parents at home and increase production. In recent times, attraction toward studying technical subjects in community schools has been increasing.

Parents said that the vegetable farming carried out within the school premises has played an important role in developing self-reliance, respect for labour, and an entrepreneurial mindset among students.